Liddle's Fishing Adventures Inc. Fall & Winter 2001 - 2002 Newsletter Miminiska - A Year in Review

We have been in the fishing lodge business in Northern Ontario since 1960, but the purchase of Miminiska Lodge has been our first acquisition in 15 years. It has been an exciting year for all of us, preparing for and operating the lodge this past season. We were apprehensive since we know that past guests get accustomed to certain ways that a lodge has been run, and then can react negatively when a new owner comes in and makes changes in the way things are done. As new owners, we can only hope that everyone will enjoy and appreciate the new style of operation. Our reservations for next season show that people have. We are extremely happy to report that reservations for 2002 already exceed last year's. We give credit for this to our wonderful staff that provided outstanding service to our guests last year. The lodge was very aptly managed by Heather Liddle who has been involved with the operations of Makokibatan Lodge and Timberwolf Lodge over the past several seasons. She had completed a 4 year business degree from MacMaster University specializing in human resources and was a perfect candidate to head the operation. We were also fortunate to have Mark Kuzyk back again last year. He had been with us three years at Makokibatan covering all aspects of the business from maintenance, to service. He has a strong understanding of our operations and it was great to transfer his skills to Miminiska. Shore lunch is a very important component in our fishing packages. Pam Liddle had honed her skills of cooking over an open fire at Makokibatan and was able to develop our daily shore lunches, something very new at Miminiska. Jody, who was our cook at Makokibatan in 2000 headed up the kitchen at Miminiska last year. He is from Newfoundland and spent many years there working in a bakery. He provided excellent meals with a variety of wonderful desserts, which were greatly appreciated by our guests last season. Josh brought new meaning to the word "service" in his handling of the dock area. He was always eager to provide assistance in anyway possible and always willing to share a story or a joke. Kalyn, and the rest of the crew all worked extremely hard and provided a level of service that the rest of us at Liddle's Fishing Adventures are really proud of. And the rest of the operation is first rate. The walleye fishing is a good as it gets anywhere. We have fished walleye in a lot of places but never have we experienced such a strong fishery. So with one year behind us, we look forward to the seasons ahead. We do hope that if you did not visit with us last year you will consider spending your fishing vacation with the Liddle's next season. Our New Web Site The development of our new website has taken much of our time over the last couple of months and we are excited to now have it up online for you to view. It is quite a comprehensive site including what our packages offer, making your travel plans, and a little bit about us as your hosts. We hope you enjoy viewing the pages and if you feel that any other information would be useful, please let us know and we will try to include it. If you have any pictures of your experiences with us please send them to our office and we will post them on the site. As well, if you are willing to share any stories or comments about your past vacations, please send them in and we will post them for other people to view. Online Communications We are hoping to communicate in the future as much as possible through email. In order to do so we need your email address. If you are interested in receiving future newsletters online or updates such as promotions, or the next season's rates as soon as they are determined, be sure to forward us your email address.

Come visit us at our sport show booth in a community near you. OUR 2002 SPORT AND TRAVEL SHOW ITINERARY: SPORT SHOWS January 10 - 13 Chicago All-Canada Show January 17 - 20 Milwaukee All-Canada Show January 24 -27 Denver Colorado Convention Center Jan 31 - Feb 3 Minneapolis All-Canada Show Jan 30 - Feb 3 Pontiac Silverdome Show February 14 - 17 Toronto Spring Fishing Show March 01 - 03 Tampa: Frank Sargeant's Outdoor Expo March 22 - 30 Minneapolis North West Sport Show Our western world, and our own lives will not be the same after the tragic events of September 11th. During the times those horrifying events were being shown on TV and across all forms of the media, our immediate thoughts and concerns went out to all of our friends, relatives and lodge guests that were being personally affected. Although we have not heard of any of our guests or their family members that may have lost loved ones, our hearts and sympathies go out to all of our American and Canadian friends that were so needlessly harmed and frightened. Since mid September, there has been much written and considered regarding the effects on the tourism travel industry. Fortunately, our lodges closed this year on September 8th, so none of our guests had to cancel or rush home from the lodges to be with family. Fortunately for those traveling into Canada now, our new border provisions in cooperation with US Customs and Immigration, will make border crossing into Canada secure and expedient. And although some sectors of the travel industry are still hurting, many of our guests are telling us that they are eager to begin to travel again, especially to Canada this coming year, where they feel safe and secure with their friends, in our tranquil wilderness atmosphere. Thank you for your confidence in, and friendship, with Canada. We look forward to your return here this coming fishing season.

Access to Miminiska Lodge (New this year) A change we are undertaking in 2002 is in our air charters into Miminiska Lodge. In the past, guests have flown into the lodge from Armstrong via float plane. With the advantage of an airstrip right at the lodge, and the much greater reliability associated with wheeled aircraft, we are switching our packages to incorporate flights from either Thunder Bay or Nakina airports. These are wheeled aircraft (Cessna Caravans and DeHavilland Twin Otters) that will land on the airstrip right at the lodge. They have better instrumentation and can fly through more unfavorable weather conditions. This means fewer delays caused by poor weather conditions and more fishing time for you. Since there are no other lodges in the area with this type of access, there is no time spent on the dock waiting for other parties ahead of you. And also better chances of meeting connecting flights on your way home. We chose Thunder Bay as a starting point for our package because of its international airport. Travelers may fly a variety of commercial airlines (Northwest, Air Canada, and Westjet) into Thunder Bay and then, first thing the next morning, continue to fly directly into the lodge. This provides a very convenient and quick travel package to Miminiska Lodge. Nakina is another starting point for our fishing trips to Miminiska Lodge. Nakina is already the starting point for guests to Makokibatan Lodge and we felt that it would be advantageous to maximize traffic out of this location. It will be used as a hub for our supplies and it is centrally located. Nakina is only a three and a half hour drive from Thunder Bay and a seven hour drive north of Sault Ste. Marie. We believe that everyone will be happier with these new transportation options.

FAVOURITE EVENING FISHING HOLES (by Roger Liddle) My wife, Donna and I are not what you would consider "fishing fanatics"; we don't head out fishing until after breakfast and a 2nd cup of coffee; we head back to the cabin when rain threatens; and we're always back at the lodge for "happy hour". But there is one habit we and our fishing couple friends developed in recent years. Weather permitting, we hit our favorite fishing holes after dinner! And since we always head to either Miminiska or Makokibatan from mid July to mid August, that only leaves about 90 minutes on the water between the 2nd serving of dessert, and the first evening star appearing. Last summer at Miminiska, with our friends Mark and Mary from North Bay, Donna and I would hop into one boat and make the 600 yard journey across the bay in front of the lodge to what we nicknamed as the "grassy point". In only 4 to 8 feet of water, amongst the scattered pike weeds in what we might otherwise consider as prime northern pike waters, we would wait for the action. And without fail, it would start with a hit to one of the gals yellow or white twister tail jigs. Why do they always win the dollar for the first fish? Whether we chose to cast out with a slow jerking retrieve, or just drift and wait as the girls do, we had steady action. We never kept an accurate count, but a general consensus says we nightly landed at least 20 to, one evening, close to 45 chunky walleye in the 16 to 20 inch range. Can't beat that! In other years at Makokibatan, the four of us followed the same format. But there we headed a bit further, about a 10 minute ride, to none other than "Roger's Reef". This is actually one of my favorite daytime spots too. It's located about 300 yards off the shoreline, in an inconspicuous spot. In the evening, with a slight breeze, you can drift your boat slowly up and down each side of the reef, from about 22 feet up to about 9 feet. The north side seems to be more productive. There I've always found the fish are in the 12 to 15 foot range just before the sun goes down. Again, yellow and white twister jig tails are my favorite. Slow retrieve, sometimes a bit of worm attached and hanging. Friend Dr. Tom Vuchetich from Lansing caught a 6 pounder there a few years ago, just before dark.

As a full time outdoor writer I have traveled all over the world experiencing the great outdoors and I can say with complete sincerity that Lake Miminiska and the staff of Miminiska Lodge provided one of the best trips of my lifetime. From the moment you arrive at the lodge, as you walk down the dock towards land, your every need is provided for, leaving you free to focus on the lovely scenery and the spectacular fishing. As we gathered in the main lodge we were introduced to each member of the staff, brought up to date on the latest hotspots on the lake, and given color-coded maps to help navigate the enormous expanse of wilderness water. Family owned and operated by the Liddle family, at Miminiska Lodge it is only moments before you begin to feel a part of their family, a great relief to me as I had brought my sixteen-year-old daughter along as my fishing companion. Our group in the lodge that week consisted of fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, and one pair of long time friends and fishing buddies that have made it a point to travel from wherever they were in the world each year to spend two weeks together at one of the Liddle family's lodges enjoying the outdoors and each other' company for well over twenty years. My daughter and I shared a special week together on Miminiska as eagles soared, otters splashed and played, and beavers made themselves busy. Walleye and Pike were so plentiful that we never stopped our boat anywhere without catching fish, including a waterfall an hour upriver that we traveled to after lunch on our final day in camp, which brings me to the food. Never, in any camp, anywhere in the world have I enjoyed such outstanding meals, especially the shore lunches of fresh Walleye that were prepared each afternoon on a remote island on the lake. Lunch quickly became our favorite meal of the day. As we boarded the floatplane for our journey home, my daughter suggested we make this a yearly event, and I heartily agreed. In this day and age, to have a teenager ask to go spend a week in the wilderness alone in a boat with her father catching fish is perhaps the best endorsement I could give Miminiska Lodge, it's owners, and staff. Many thanks for the food, the fishing, the personal attention, and most of all, the memories created by the time with my daughter, see you all again next year. Sincerely, John Kozlowski Woods-n-Water News